


oil and water

by hot_damn_louis



Series: oil and water [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Derek Hale is a Softie, Detective Stiles Stilinski, Everyone Is Alive, Evil Kate Argent, Fluff, Lawyer Derek Hale, M/M, Mean Kate Argent, Minor Ethan/Jackson Whittemore, Minor Isaac Lahey/Malia Tate, Minor Lydia Martin/Erica Reyes, Nasty Remarks, Rewrite Sterek Drabbles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29222763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hot_damn_louis/pseuds/hot_damn_louis
Summary: “What are we talking about?” a woman said, slinging her arm around Derek’s shoulder and attempting to step between Derek and Stiles, despite their linked hands. She looked down at the hands that prevented her from fully embracing Derek, a dark look crossing her face. She immediately perked up when Derek let go of Stiles’ hand, wrapping his arm around her waist for a side hug.aka the one where Kate tries to scare Stiles off because she's Derek's "best friend"
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: oil and water [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180895
Comments: 18
Kudos: 357
Collections: Rewrite Sterek Discord Drabbles, Sterek Goodness





	oil and water

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm writing this as a part of the Rewrite Sterek Drabbles for February! The prompt was:
> 
> "Iv been watching a lot of tiktoks with the POV. girl BFF who’s clearly into her male BFF, and is really rude to the new gf and like brags about how close they are and how she borrows his clothes and how they are always together. I would love to see that as a prompt: Derek is friends with Kate and he starts seeing stiles but Kate gets upset and is constantly rude to stiles while Derek isn’t around and makes snide comments to him but Derek Doesn’t notice at first" from assata. 
> 
> I sort of took this and ran with it, maybe in a direction away from those more lighthearted TikToks, but I had a lot of fun writing Kate and Stiles trading barbs a little. 
> 
> EDIT (2/25/21): sequel is posted, and this work is the first in a series. Thanks to all who read and suggested a sequel, because I'm very happy about writing it.
> 
> EDIT (3/7/21): Details of how Derek and Stiles met have been edited to match the sequel.

Derek honestly hated the law firm he worked at. He enjoyed the work, he enjoyed working with his sister, and he especially enjoyed the pro-bono work that he was allowed to choose. He liked when they fought for others, especially as defense lawyers. He felt like he was doing the right thing when he could help people escape life changing charges.. He felt like they were doing good, more good than he could have done if he had become a cop like he had originally planned. Seeing this side of things, upholding the law, he saw that there was no possible way he would have been good at the detective work he was originally drawn to. 

The part that he hated was the women. All of the vapid, annoying, and frankly stupid women who made hitting on him a game, and the prize his body. 

When he had first joined the firm, right after graduating law school and following in his sister’s and uncle’s footsteps to work at Hale, Hale, & Hale, it was fine. He didn’t shy away from the attention, but he certainly was not planning on hooking up with every secretary and associate that crossed his path. 

They would throw themselves at him; one woman in particular had purposefully spilled coffee down the front of her shirt, simply so she could unbutton it and flash him her bra. He had averted his eyes and stayed polite, even going as far to offer to find another shirt for her. Apparently that was not the answer that she wanted, because she had stormed off in a huff to change. 

Occurrences like this were common for the first few months. Women would show up and attempt to charm him, trailing their acrylic nails down his arm and flipping their hair. Some would unbutton their shirts one more, shoving their breasts in his face and making him far too uncomfortable. There was one woman that he sort of liked, Paige, but she ended up moving across the country before he could seal the deal. After he had shown interest in Paige, the women came flocking two fold; they tried to replicate what Paige had done (which was nothing) in an attempt to charm him further. 

It wasn’t until Kate was pulled on that Derek started to see some relief. 

He did not particularly like her, but she seemed to know better than to flirt with him and try and woo him with her sheer womanly qualities. Instead of being nice to him, she simply wrapped her arm around his shoulders and told him what to do. Even as he made it clear he would never date her, her own aggressiveness seemed to scare off the other women. No one wanted to cross Kate, especially since she was an Argent. 

The Argent’s were some of the best detectives in the larger San Francisco area, and the daughter of the great Gerard Argent wanted to be a lawyer. As an act of kindness, or perhaps some sort of deal for a truce between the law firm and the detectives, Peter had agreed to take her on as a junior associate. She was cut throat and frequently did better on some of their more ruthless cases. The first one she was assigned to was a civil lawsuit between their client, a woman suing for back alimony and child support, and a disgusting millionaire business owner who refused to support her. Kate’s ruthless attitude and ability to manipulate had the man paying double what he owed. 

Derek didn’t like her, but she was sort of a badass. He could recognize that at least. And her badasserie made it nearly impossible for any of the other women to get in a word edgewise with him, not with her lingering by his side like some sort of protector. 

“You really don’t have to do that,” Derek said, gesturing towards where some poor intern was shuffling off embarrassed after asking Derek if he lifted weights. He made a face at the retreating intern’s back, sort of wishing that Kate had not glared her into submission. She seemed like a nice kid, if a little naive. 

“If I can’t have you, then no woman can,” Kate said, patting his shoulder. She strode off confidently, a smirk on her lips. The other women looked after her with jealousy in their eyes; Kate was a sight to behold when she was at the office, both beauty and a sharpness, like a well crafted dagger. 

“I see that witch still won’t release her claws from you,” Laura commented, walking up behind Derek. 

“She’s not that bad,” Derek tried to argue, even though he knew he was wrong. 

“Can’t she just slip up so I can fire her already?” Laura mused, shaking her head. “I really wish she was less competent at her job.”

“I’ll take competency over stupidity any day,” Derek said, smoothing a hand over his tie. 

“You are so whipped, and you don’t even really like her. Pathetic,” Laura said, elbowing her brother in the ribs. 

“Well, I haven’t slept my way through the accounting department yet, so I think that out of the two of us, I have it better,” Derek said, turning to look at his sister. 

Her dark hair, pulled up away from her face, made her look a lot like their late mother. He remembered his mom, when she was a defense lawyer a long time ago, putting her hair up with pins and smoothing her collar down around her neckline. Laura, with her hair up, looked almost the same. He wondered if they still had some of mom’s old suits, if only to recreate mom’s old business photo that was hanging on the wall in their main office. 

“It’s not my fault, by the way. I didn’t know that both Stephen and Trevor were in the accounting department,” Laura said, half shrugging. 

“You’re forgetting about Daniel and Alex,” Derek pointed out, raising his eyebrows at his sister. 

She thought for a moment, cocking her head slightly as if trying to place those names. “Oh, right. Well, one could say that I have a type. Now, come along, we have a briefing to go to,” Laura said, tugging on the sleeve of Derek’s suit jacket. 

He followed her back towards the main conference room, the sound of her heels especially loud on the hardwood floors on this side of their offices. He ignored the way that people glanced at them as they walked past, as if they were totally conscious of their bosses happening by. 

“So I was thinking of having after work drinks with everyone tonight, since we just closed on that Thompson case,” Laura said, referencing the last case they had worked. It was a doozy, trying to prove that a man who had already served five years was innocent and had not killed his wife. The evidence was all circumstantial, and the prosecution had used race in their argument, considering he was latino and she was a rich white woman. It was a case that made Derek’s blood boil, considering that the man had been out with his friends the night she was murdered. He had to grieve his wife in prison, rather than in the comfort of his home. 

Derek made a face at the invitation. “I have a date, so I can’t,” Derek said, half shrugging. He tried to play it off as nothing, but the falter in his sister’s steps was telling enough. 

“A date,” Laura said calmly, stopping outside of the conference room. “And, would I know the girl?” 

Derek’s fists tightened at his side. “Well, his name is Stiles. And I doubt you know him. That’s sort of the point,” Derek said, his voice tight. He had experimented in college, but it wasn’t like he was bringing every guy back home to meet his sister. She sort of knew his preferences, and it was understandable for her to assume it was a woman considering the last string of relationships he had were all with women, but he was still slightly hurt by the assumption. 

If Laura was assuming he was a red blooded cishetero man, he was unsure of what the rest of the women in the office would think if he brought a guy around. 

“Oh. Well I hope the date goes well,” Laura said, as breezily as ever. She opened the conference room, stepping inside. 

That seemed to not go bad. 

***

“Shut up, you work for Hale, Hale, & Hale?” Stiles asked, almost surprised at this revelation. 

When he met Derek jogging around Mission Dolores park, he had not really expected anything outside of a health nut for a profession. He had the shoulders of a god and an ass to match, and there was very little doubt in Stiles’ mind when he had fallen into pace with Derek, trying to keep up a conversation as they ran. After a few minutes, panting, he had asked if Derek wanted to go out and do something that was not jogging. He was surprised when Derek had said yes. 

Even as they texted to set up a date, Stiles sort of assumed that the regularly late hours that Derek kept meant that he was a busy guy, in some sort of completely self sacrificing position like Stiles was. He knew he had to have a crazy schedule because of the whole lawyer thing, but he wasn't necessarily expecting one of the infamous defense lawyers in San Francisco. The idea of late nights didn’t scare Stiles off, but he wasn’t expecting late nights as a direct result of being a defense lawyer, the kind that worked against the DA’s office. He had heard of the Hales, but he hadn’t worked a case with a serious and lengthy trial since he had made detective. Only a few short ones that wouldn't need such a hard hitter.

“What, don’t I look like a lawyer?” Derek asked, brow turning down. 

“Like the hottest lawyer I’ve ever seen,” Stiles said, almost kicking himself at his own words. “But now that I know you have the brains to back up the brawn, I’m actually really intimidated.”

“And you weren’t before?” 

Stiles could feel himself digging a hole. His own grave. “I was intimidated by those buns of steel, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The resulting blush in Derek’s cheeks (on his face) were a pleasant reward for Stiles’ own stupidity. If he could manage to charm Derek while half insulting him and insinuating that he was the smarter, hotter version of a porno lawyer, then he was doing well. 

***

“So, when are you going to take me out on a date?” Kate asked, scraping her nails down Derek’s arm. He tried not to wince at the contact, ignoring her touch as he walked faster in the mall. Not that it would deter Kate; she was pretty fierce when she had an idea in her brain. 

“I told you it’s never gonna happen,” Derek said, striding quickly past the ice rink. He expected to feel Kate’s arm looped through his, but he felt her pull away, stopping next to the brisk air coming off of the ice. He stopped and turned to look at her, almost rolling his eyes at the way she was fake shivering. 

“Can I have your jacket? It’s freezing in here!” Kate said. There were goosebumps on her upper arms, and despite the fact that any time they went to the mall together she would wear a tank top, knowing that the air conditioning and the ice rink made it practically arctic. She always tried to steal a jacket or a sweatshirt of his, and he knew that he would likely never get it back. It was her own brand of claiming him as hers. 

He looked down at the company jacket he was wearing, the lightweight one they got for golfing last summer. It even had his name monogrammed on it, which was probably a bonus for Kate. He was only wearing it because if he didn’t, Laura would have his ass for not having “firm pride”, whatever that meant. He shrugged the jacket off, handing it to Kate. He was sort of happy he’d never get that one back. 

“Thanks, babe,” Kate said, pulling it on over her shoulders. She made sure to position it so his name was clearly visible on the left lapel, as if she was ensuring their linked connection. 

“No problem. And don’t call me babe,” Derek said gruffly, continuing on down the walkway. Now that she had his jacket on, she was slipping her arm back through his and chatting like nothing was amiss. 

“And there’s Dana’s engagement party tonight at Gino’s bar, so I said we’d both be there—” Kate continued, hugging herself closer to Derek’s body, hair brushing against his shoulder. 

“Tonight? I’ve got plans tonight,” Derek said quickly, almost shaking his head at her words. He and Stiles had finally gotten past the whole “dating” part of their relationship, and now they were firmly in the part where they simply made “plans” to hang out. He liked Stiles: the curve of his mouth and the brightness in his eyes when he defended the Mets; the way his long fingers gripped Derek’s shoulders when he laughed too loud; the way he exhaled when Derek pushed inside of him, moaning filthy as they had sex. He really liked him, and he certainly wasn’t cancelling because Kate had decided to make plans for the two of them without him. 

He wasn’t even really sure why he agreed to go to the mall with Kate to begin with. She said she needed to pick up a new tie for her dad’s birthday, but she took Derek perfume shopping instead. Her voice was even starting to grate on his ears after nearly an hour of ambling around. 

“Change your plans and come out with me!” Kate said, slapping his chest with her hand. “Don’t act as if whoever you have plans with is any better than your best friend.”

Derek rolled his eyes at the words “best friend”. Everyone in the office knew that Boyd was his best friend. 

“Who did you even make plans with? Everyone good from the office is going to be at this party tonight,” Kate continued, flicking her hair with her spare hand. She could be so full of herself sometimes. 

“You don’t know them,” Derek said, trying to avoid the conversation. 

He had made sure to keep his relationship on the downlow in front of Kate. Laura knew, and Peter sort of knew, but he had avoided bringing it up with anyone else in the office. Laura was supportive and had met Stiles a few days ago (“he’s a charmer”, Laura said), and there was no way that he was going to let Kate know. She was still under the fantasy that someday they would fall for each other. As if. 

“Then bring them along tonight. I’m sure I’m going to like whatever guy you were going to bro-down with tonight,” Kate said, a smile forming back on her face. She looked as if she had won already, having figured out how to trap Derek into the plans she wanted him to do. 

She was going to be sorely mistaken when he showed up hand in hand with Stiles. 

***

“So this is the engagement party for someone you don’t really know at your law firm,” Stiles said, frowning at Derek from the passenger seat of the Camaro. 

“Yes,” Derek said simply. 

“And we’re going because?” Stiles asked, making a face. He was so expressive, it was easy to read his emotions. He looked extremely skeptical and mildly annoyed, but not at Derek. More at the concept of an engagement party. 

“Because my entire firm is going to be there,” Derek said. He reached across the console to take one of Stiles’ hands, driving with the other. He liked the way that Stiles slotted their fingers together, resting their intertwined hands on his leg. 

“So I’ll finally get to meet all of your coworkers,” Stiles said, looking down at what he was wearing. “I would’ve skipped the flannel if you told me that.” 

“I like the flannel,” Derek said, glancing over at what Stiles was wearing. He could be self conscious all he wanted, Derek liked the flannel shirts. It made Stiles look more like Stiles. He hated the button ups and ties that he had to wear when he was going into the police station. His detective-chic look was attractive, but he was clearly the most like himself when he was relaxed like this. 

“But I could have worn my nice shirt!” Stiles said, squeezing Derek’s hand. 

“And looked like a detective? You do know that we’re mostly a bunch of defense lawyers, right?” Derek said, his brow pulling down. 

“Don’t get me started. My partner is on my ass about the fact that I’m apparently betraying all detectives out there by dating you,” Stiles muttered, running a hand over his spiked hair. “As if she has anything to say! She’s dating some sort of supersmart FBI lab analyst. Although, I guess a lab analyst helps us,” Stiles mused, 

“I think you’re overthinking this,” Derek said, pulling up outside of the bar. He extracted his hand to park, catching glimpses of Stiles out of the corner of his eye. 

“Overthinking my ass,” Stiles muttered, smoothing down his t-shirt, as if that was somehow going to make him look any different. It was one of Derek’s favorites, a white ringer tee. It was see-through enough that Derek could see the dark glimpse of Stiles’ one and only tattoo on the side of his ribs. He had a single line of script, _Oro en Paz Fierro en Guerra_. It was the San Francisco police academy motto. If people didn’t know he was a detective before, they would certainly know by reading that. 

“My friends will like you. And even if they don’t—” Derek leaned in close, mouth near Stiles’ ear, “— you look hot.”

Stiles shuddered, trying to appear less scared than he was. They had only been dating for a few weeks, just long enough for them to gravitate towards each other and start to make plans without trying to calculate and call them anything specific. They went out, and more than half of the time, Stiles sort of wished that they were back at his place having sex. Not that he didn’t enjoy Derek’s company, he just really liked the feeling of Derek’s hands on his hips and the way their mouths slotted together. 

“Stop it,” Stiles said, elbowing Derek in the chest. “I am not going in there with a boner because you decide to get all hot and bothered before we even get in there.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “C’mon.” 

They got out of the car, Stiles following a little behind Derek as they walked over towards the bar. As they stepped inside, Derek reached to grab his hand, their fingers sliding together as if it were second nature. The small smile that Derek offered him was confidence boosting enough that Stiles held his head high as they entered, only slightly overwhelmed by the crowd of people inside. 

They were all dressed like high end lawyers would: dark jeans that were obviously expensive, silky shirts that were all dry clean only, and shoes that were so clean Stiles wondered if they were ever worn outside. His own thrift store flannel and ratty jeans looked like he was homeless in comparison to some of the snobs in the bar. He was well aware of Derek’s job, of the desirability of the lawyers at his firm and the number of high end cases that they covered. He was not expecting to have people who couldn’t unbutton, even a little bit. 

He rarely noticed Derek dressing expensive, but that was mainly because his clothes were quickly torn off if he had come from work, or he was wearing his signature leather jacket over whatever expensive shirt he was wearing. He seemed more down to earth than some of the socialites standing around with their expensive drinks and talking as if their conversations were actually interesting.

Stiles worked hard not to flail his arms as he snaked through the crowd, being tugged along by Derek’s hand. He was one small step away from tripping into someone or accidentally knocking over a drink. He was not about to make a fool of himself. 

He was stopped at Derek’s side once they were in the back of the bar, a small pocket of space where Derek’s friends obviously were talking. Stiles saddled up to his side, feeling reassured when Derek’s thumb rubbed against the back of his hand. He smiled politely at the small group of people gathered around a cocktail table, their skin glowing and their hair shiny. 

Directly to Derek’s left was Laura, her hair looking beautifully shiny and her skin glowing. She laughed at something that another said, her teeth a shining white and her throat long and elegant as she tossed her head back. On her left was Peter, who was clearly the uncle. He looked sort of smarmy, but he had a glass of a dark liquor in his hands and a smirk on his lips. He didn’t seem nearly as bad as what Derek said. 

“Boyd,” Derek whispered, gesturing towards the man next to Peter. He had kind eyes and a serious face, but he didn’t say a thing. He merely observed. “Malia, the cousin,” Derek muttered, gesturing towards the woman on Stiles’ right, her hair falling out of it’s bun in a messy way, her shirt half untucked from her skirt, but her smile wild and bright. 

“Hi everyone!” Stiles said, waving awkwardly in an attempt to cover his nerves. 

“Stiles!” Laura greeted, making a grabby hand towards him. “I didn’t think Derek would be here, but it seems like he convinced you to change plans tonight. Please tell me that you didn’t have anything more fun than this planned,” Laura said, running her other hand through her hair. 

“Just dinner on the couch,” Stiles said, laughing to attempt to be reassuring. 

“No offense to Dana, but I kind of want to be home watching Grey’s Anatomy right now,” Laura said, shaking her head. 

“Oh! You’re the boyfriend,” Malia said, her eyes widening at the connection. She smoothed her hands down her shirt, reaching out to shake his in a completely formal and unnecessary gesture. “I’m Malia.”

“Nice to meet you,” Stiles said, shaking her hand firmly. 

“Does Kate know I’m here yet?” Derek asked, glancing around over Stiles’ head as if looking out for her. 

Peter rolled his eyes. “She’ll figure it out eventually. As if you could shake her, or her charms.”

 _Charms?_ Stiles thought, brow pulling down slightly. He looked at Derek in question, half concerned when his eyes were trained on the crowd behind him. 

“I want to prove her wrong. She bet me twenty I wouldn’t show up,” Derek said, turning back to the group. He squeezed Stiles’ hand reassuringly, nodding at him affirmingly. 

“I don’t know why you bother giving her the time of day. She keeps leaving more and more aggressive notes on my desk about firing people for being ‘ugly’. She wanted to fire Stacey because she wore pants once, and I’m not sure if I know how to explain to her that pants can be business attire,” Laura said, shaking her head. “Look, I’m going to get a drink. You two want anything?” 

“Jack and coke,” Stiles said, smiling at Laura. 

“Whiskey, neat. I owe you,” Derek said. 

In return, Derek got a soft punch to the arm. 

Peter launched into a story about the recent client that he had to formally turn down, discussing the craziness of the woman’s house and her incessant calls about the case. It seemed as if she had very little evidence of her own innocence, and even as Peter attempted to work out a way for them to both get what they wanted, she started requesting he drop his rates if he was only going to do half the job. 

“What are we talking about?” a woman said, slinging her arm around Derek’s shoulder and attempting to step between Derek and Stiles, despite their linked hands. She looked down at the hands that prevented her from fully embracing Derek, a dark look crossing her face. She immediately perked up when Derek let go of Stiles’ hand, wrapping his arm around her waist for a side hug. 

“Nothing of importance,” Peter said, a shit eating grin on his face. “I’m off to get a drink.”

“Kate, you owe me $20,” Derek said, giving her a pointed look. 

“For showing up to this? I knew you would, since I asked,” Kate said, laying her hand on his shoulder. 

“It was Stiles who convinced me that we could go out tonight instead of staying in,” Derek said, gesturing towards Stiles. “Kate, this is my boyfriend, Stiles.”

“Pleasure,” Kate said, her face forced into a too tight smile as she nodded at Stiles, not even bothering to shake his hand. She all but sneered at him as she turned her attention back to Derek, twisting her body to cut Stiles off from Derek. 

“I should help Laura with the drinks, stay here?” Derek said, reaching behind Kate to touch Stiles’ arm gently. 

Stiles merely nodded as Derek slipped into the crowd and back towards the bar. 

An awkward silence was proof of how uncomfortable the past few moments of interaction were. There had been no previous mention of Kate before now, at least not in the thoroughness that she probably should have been addressed in. Stiles was relatively versed in the workings of the rest of Derek’s tight knit group at the firm, but he had not heard of a woman who was already staking claim on him. 

“So, Stiles, what do you do?” Kate asked, eyes sharp. She tapped her fingers on the drink she was holding, as if biding her time as she calculated the best way to tear Stiles into itty bitty pieces. 

“I’m a detective for San Francisco PD,” Stiles said, smiling. This was a topic of conversation he could rock. He knew about small talk, and he could certainly tell stories about his job. 

“Oh. So you must work with my father, right? Gerard Argent?” Kate said, feigning innocence as she looked at him, her bottom lip jutted out as if she was pouting. 

Shit. He was sort of a big deal in the department. He had closed more cases than anyone else in the history of the precinct, and he certainly did not shy away from conflict. There were rumors he was being bought off, but those went away as quickly as they started. He was not a kind man, but he got his job done. Stiles hated him. 

“I think I’ve seen him in passing. I only made detective last year,” Stiles said, nodding politely. He could see the way that Boyd coughed into his hand awkwardly next to them. Apparently this was not going well whatsoever. 

“Ah, so you’re not a good cop. You’re what, 27? 28? And only making detective now?” Kate asked, cocking her head and smiling at him, her voice poisonous as it dripped from her lips. 

“I went to college, studying criminal justice. I meant to apply to the FBI, but I ended up moving back home for my dad for a few years when he had cancer. Sort of put my career on hold,” Stiles explained. He didn’t mind talking about things like this, but he certainly did not appreciate having to justify his own life choices because of someone acting nasty towards him. 

“But why? Shouldn’t career come before family?” Kate asked, the innocence act turned up to 11. “I’m sure that he could have gotten along without your… help.” 

The way she said those words, her voice tinged with a level of nastiness that Stiles could barely comprehend. His own decision to go home was humbling for him, and yet here she was, acting as if he should have abandoned his father in favor of his own career. The way she sneered at him, every word purposefully obtuse and innocent in order to really hammer home her point while being able to claim a kind and innocent inquisition later. She was the kind of person that Stiles hated interviewing. 

“Here,” Derek said, sliding up behind Stiles and pressing his drink into his hand. He pushed between Kate and Stiles, separating the two of them. “What did I miss?”

Stiles only smiled, sipping his drink. 

***

Stiles didn’t mention the night of the party again. Not because he was scared, or because he was avoiding conflict, but because he really did not care about what Kate had said. He believed in his heart the merit of his actions, and he certainly was not going to base his own worth and the worth of his time off of a comment from someone who clearly was interested in Derek. 

She had spent the rest of the night laughing at everything he said, pulling on his arm to show him things on her phone, and attempting to stand between the two of them. To Stiles her actions were fairly obvious, to Derek they were apparently not. He didn’t make a fuss as she gripped his shoulder or commanded his attention, even when Boyd and Peter were eye rolling at her actions and his complacency. 

But it wasn’t up to Stiles to judge his friendship with her. He clearly cared enough to continue talking to her, and even if he said that they weren’t that great of friends, she sure acted like it. She was very confident in her actions, and almost every time she glanced at Stiles she was icy. She had her sights set on Derek, and she seemed undeterred by his presence. 

Rather than play into her, Stiles turned and talked with Malia and Peter, learning about the Hale family as a whole and the various things that Malia did for the firm. She seemed to be the handy-woman, both secretary for most of the higher ups and the media manager for the entire firm. She seemed like a busy person, but she played it off well. She was almost the opposite of Kate. 

When Stiles got home that night, he kissed Derek goodbye and said something about feeling too tired for much else. He sent a single panic text to Lydia, unsure of how to handle any of it. _New boyfriend has a girl best friend who clearly wants to be more. Help?_

Immediately, his phone started ringing. “Hello?” he said sleepily, stripping off his clothes and hoping that it was enough to brush the whole night off. 

“Relationship guru, at your service,” Lydia said, voice sounding smart as ever on the phone. 

“Don’t you have some lab analysis stuff to do?” Stiles asked, scrubbing a hand over his face. “This can wait until morning.”

Lydia scoffed. “Excuse me, all of my data is at work. Besides, it's barely after midnight and Erica and I haven’t gone to bed yet,” Lydia said, as if that were somehow obvious. 

“Look, it’s nothing. One of the junior associates at the firm is this chick Kate, and she’s clearly into Derek. The only thing that annoyed me is that he let her hang on him all night. And she said some nasty stuff about choosing family over career, which was frankly confusing,” Stiles said, flopping backwards onto his bed. He relished in the small bounce, almost wishing that the second bounce would have sucked him into the bed entirely. 

“She what?” Lydia asked, sounding practically murderous on the phone. 

“Who do I have to kill?” Erica asked on the other line. 

“Didn’t know I was on speakerphone,” Stiles groaned, turning over to mash his face into his pillow. “She judged me for moving home with dad and not making detective until recently.” 

The shared gasps on the other end of the line were proof enough that his friends truly looked out for him. They seemed offended on his behalf, which was more than he felt about the whole scenario. 

“Do I need to break her knees? Cover it up to make it look like an accident? Because I can, and you know I can,” Erica said, sounding completely protective over him. 

“No, it’s Kate Argent.”

The silence on the other end was deafening. 

“ _The_ Kate Argent? Pretty thing that had her daddy bribe Stanford so she could get into law school?” Lydia asked, the sound of her nails tapping audible over the phone. “There were a few rumors people had about her the last time that I was giving a lecture at Stanford. Something about falsely accusing men of stealing and claiming assault, only to have her dad arrest the men and haul them away.”

“Shit,” Stiles said. The entire situation seemed more and more bleak as he learned new information. It was bad enough that this was apparently some girl that Derek worked with who had this Alpha female claim on him, but that it was rumored she made men disappear? How much time would it take before Stiles disappeared?

“Listen to me, Stiles, and listen good,” Erica said firmly. “Anger is all that this type of woman wants. She wants an irrational reaction out of you so that you look crazy in front of your boyfriend, and she certainly doesn’t care. If you are mean to her, she will play the victim so hard she’ll convince him to break up with you in order to fall into his arms. Do not do it.”

“Be overly nice,” Lydia said, chiming in. “Always polite, and always inviting. She wants to go on a third wheel? Let her and charm the pants off of her. Be everything that she’s attempting to be and let your personality shine through.”

“Most importantly, Stiles,” Erica said. “Is he worth it?”

Stiles breathed, trying to think about Derek and whether or not their tentative relationship was worth anything. All he could think about was the way Derek smiled when they were alone, and the movement of his hips when they were having sex. He liked the stories that Derek told and the way he kissed him insistently. He was starting to look forward to holding hands as they walked to dinner, or calling each other because work ran late and neither could make their date. It had been a few weeks, almost six now, and he was starting to become invested. He couldn’t picture throwing any of that away now. 

“Yeah I think he might be.”

Those words sealed the deal for Stiles. He didn’t mention the words that Kate had said to him, and he only nodded in agreement when Derek had mentioned something about Kate being sort of difficult to deal with at first. He was sure that whatever their friendship was based on was real, and that perhaps he was misunderstanding Derek when he was confused about their interactions. 

With the first trial run of their relationship apparently out of the way, Derek started inviting Stiles to their near weekly drinks that the uppers at the firm had together. It was mostly the senior associates, the Hale family, and whatever junior associates could tag along. For the most part it was this core group: Derek, Laura, Peter, Malia, Boyd, Jackson (who was nice in comparison to Kate), and Kate. 

The first time Stiles had met Jackson, he immediately thought he was an asshole. He was arrogant, crude, and unforgiving. But the second time he met Jackson, he had his boyfriend Ethan in tow. It was like putting two and two together when they were around; clearly Jackson’s own brashness was tempered by Ethan, and he allowed himself to relax a little more. 

Kate, however, was still the cause of most of Stiles’ own personal heartache. 

The next three months of Friday night drinks always included her, and always included some sort of barb or digging remarks about who he was, and how little Stiles deserved Derek. It was exhausting.

The first night they went out for drinks after the engagement party, Kate had slid over to Stiles the moment Derek went to the bathroom. “Didn’t know you were his type. He usually likes leggy brunettes with a little more curves,” Kate had said, reaching to pinch at Stiles’ side. 

“I like to think I’m curvy, even if I hide it under flannel,” Stiles said with a smile on his face, trying not to let any sort of jealousy seep through. He could care less about the other women that Derek had dated because they certainly were not dating him now. Why that was relevant to their relationship was mildly confusing. 

“You’re confident,” Kate commented, her eyes narrowing slightly. 

“Not confident, merely secure in my body,” Stiles said, nodding. “I’m going to the bar to get Derek and I a drink, want anything?” 

Kate pressed her lips together, as if displeased at their entire interaction. “No.”

The second time she had laughed as she arrived, wearing a jacket with Derek’s name monogrammed onto the chest. When Boyd had commented on the jacket, she merely twirled, offering a wink to Derek. “Don’t I look good with it? Doesn’t it look right?” she said, her voice deceptively charming. She had pushed herself between Stiles and Derek, making sure to absorb all of his attention. 

“Sure,” Derek said, his brow twitching downward. He picked back up his conversation with Boyd, totally ignoring the fact that she had inserted herself into the situation. 

Rather than walking away, Kate had turned to Stiles, smiling in her pleased but evil way. “Do you have anything of Derek’s to wear?” Kate asked, touching his arm gently. “I wouldn’t want you to miss out, considering his clothes are so comfy,” Kate added, hugging the jacket closer to herself. 

Stiles smiled, knowing for once that she had walked into something she didn’t know about. “He’s actually wearing my hoodie right now. We share pretty equally,” Stiles said, gesturing towards the zip up that was slightly too tight on Derek’s arms. He caught Derek’s eyes, smiling at the way Derek tugged at the sleeves of the hoodie. He was complaining of how cold he was, and Stiles was not the kind of person to deny his boyfriend a hoodie. 

“But you don’t have anything of his,” Kate accused, voice sharp. 

“I’m sure he’s left something at my place,” Stiles said with a shrug. 

There were other times after that (four to be exact), where she had said various things to him in order to somehow get him to break up with Derek, or go running with his tail between his legs. 

“I didn’t realize that Derek was into the whole homeless chic thing. He normally likes people with a little more class.”

“Ah, so he brought you along again tonight. Seems that he didn’t bother listening to my instructions to leave the trash outside.”

“A tie? Are you trying hard to fit in now? Don’t act like you could ever fit into his life.”

“I know you think you know Derek, but I know him better. I am his best friend, you know. I think I know him and his tastes a little better than you ever could.”

He tried not to let the words rattle around in his brain, but when Derek seemed either blissfully ignorant or purposefully ignoring the words that Kate was spewing, it became harder and harder to want to make things work out. Stiles could feel himself waning, and despite the fact that he met every word with kindness and a calm attitude, he was finding himself hesitating to take Derek’s hand around her, only because he was sure she would say something. His heart flipped when Kate would hug up against Derek, or push between the two of them. When he found himself choosing to talk to asshole Jackson rather than his own boyfriend, he knew that something had to change. 

The breaking point was when she had cornered him when Derek started talking to Boyd, her fingernails digging into his forearm as she pulled him aside. She glanced behind her, as if waiting for Derek to turn and look. When she was confident that he wasn’t going to turn around and say anything, she lowered her voice. 

“There’s no way he’s going to stay with you, not when he has someone like me,” Kate said, her voice almost angry in tone. She seemed seriously affected by his presence, and she certainly did not seem to care that others could probably see the way she was acting with him. 

“I can’t read his mind,” Stiles said, shrugging in an attempt to pull his arm out of her grasp. “So I’ll just enjoy the time I have with him now.” 

That seemed to be the wrong answer, if the squeezing of her fist meant anything. She had a pinch above her eye, where she was glaring at Stiles as if her mere gaze could scorch him to nothing. Her own anger, her hatred for him, was so strange. He wondered if she acted like this with others, scaring off other romantic partners purely for her own selfish desires. 

When he returned to Derek, he noticed the looks that Derek gave him, glancing around him at where Kate had struck up a conversation with some other woman. He slid his arm around Stiles’ waist, pulling him to his side protectively. There was a tightness in his jaw as he took another glance at Kate, as if trying to decipher why she would pull Stiles away. 

“It’s nothing,” Stiles whispered, staying in Derek’s space. He would normally pull away, shy at the amount of public affection, but he let Derek tug at him and drape himself all over him. Just this once. 

***

Derek knew that Kate had said something to Stiles. He had invited Stiles along to another upper staff after work drinks, and she had pulled him aside. He seemed to handle whatever she said well, but there was obviously a level of concern. Her past behaviors with people Derek was interested in was not something he was hoping to repeat with Stiles. He let her run off other women in the past because he wasn’t interested, but now he was. He was very much interested. 

“You okay?” Derek asked on their way home, sitting in the passenger seat of Stiles’ Jeep. He looked over at Stiles’ profile, enjoying the way that the moonlight lit up his face. His pale skin looked so beautiful in the low lighting, and Derek couldn’t help but reach over to rest his hand on Stiles’ knee. 

“Yeah, why?” Stiles asked, glancing over at Derek. He looked away quickly, eyes focusing completely on the road. He didn’t reach down to take Derek’s hand, or even make a move as if he noticed it. He was such a talkative person, very expressive, but he was almost silent now. It was atypical of his character. 

“I saw you talking to Kate,” Derek said, trailing off in the hopes that Stiles would pick up the other end. 

The mention of her name had Stiles making a face, his lips tightening at the thought of her. “I’ve got it handled,” he said firmly, quietly. 

“What is there to handle?” Derek asked. He took a breath, watching Stiles’ face seriously. He was curious about what could deter Stiles. He was a strong man, and Derek knew that he was tough enough to withstand anything. He was not going to let someone like Kate get between them. 

“Look,” Stiles said, his hands worrying on the steering wheel. “I understand that she’s your friend, and you know her well, but she doesn’t know me. She’s said some things, and I’ve handled it, but it makes me wonder about why you’re even friends with her. Alright?” He looked away as he pulled up to Derek’s building, biting his lip. 

“Why I’m friends with her,” Derek repeated dumbly. 

“I shouldn’t have brought up, okay? Pretend like we never talked about it,” Stiles said, shaking his head. He put the car into park, letting it idle. 

“Come in and we can talk about it,” Derek said, reaching to try and grab Stiles’ hand, slot their fingers together so they could feel whole and complete. He felt sort of desperate for this comfort; he was far more physical in searching for comfort, and even though Stiles was not, he usually let him have some sort of physicality to keep the both of them happy. Rather than coming easy at a tug of Derek’s hand, he went reluctantly, stiffly. 

“I get that she doesn’t like me, but it’s draining to go out when she’s there all the time,” Stiles said, sounding entirely honest and sincere. “I’m going to go home and sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow.”

This was not the first time Stiles had skipped out on a bit of alone time after drinks. While Derek wanted to press him into the mattress, treat him for putting up with his friends and his crazy coworker, he couldn’t. He doubted he could even convince Stiles, even if he had promised him a blowjob. There was a hard set to Stiles’ shoulders, and something about his posture left Derek pulling away, unsure of what to do. 

“I’ll call tomorrow,” Derek said quietly as he got out of the car. 

***

Stiles was seriously considering why he even bothered dating Derek in the first place. Besides the obvious attraction and the connection that they shared, which was something far deeper than Stiles had anticipated so quickly, he was sort of wondering why he even bothered. The last few weeks had been rocky; they would talk on the phone and hang out as frequently as possible, but all of that was undercut by the fact that Kate was inserting herself between them, and Derek was letting her. 

He laid on his couch, his phone on speaker on the coffee table next to him. He wanted to put on something like Brokeback Mountain and cry into a tub of ice cream, but that was even too gay for him. Instead he called his best friends, who were both women in a queer relationship. That was somehow a better solution. 

“I still vote to kick his ass,” Erica said, her voice angry over the phone. During all of their cases this week, she had mentioned murdering Derek in a similar fashion. While he was flattered, he was not interested in Erica going to jail. 

“I understand completely why you’re feeling hesitant about this,” Lydia said, ever the pragmatic. “You have this steady foundation that is being piled on by a woman who knows no bounds to her jealousy. She’s the kind of person who’s going to mess with you, and while I’m proud that you’re taking the advice to fight with kindness, I don’t know if that’s enough.”

Lydia highlighted the exact problem: fighting against Kate with his own kindness was nowhere near enough for him and Derek. It wouldn’t be. He wasn’t sure if it ever was to begin with. 

“Shit. Fuck.”

There were soft cooing noises on the other side of the phone, and despite the fact that they were intended to be reassuring, it was almost aggravating. He was half in love with a guy who he thought would be perfect, the kind of guy who would fight for him and love him, and their relationship was being ruined by some chick who couldn’t take a hint. 

“I can’t let her win like this,” Stiles said, his voice determined. “I can’t let her chase me off. If I’m going down, it’s because we as a couple didn’t work out, not because she is a conniving bitch.”

“You tell them Stiles!” Erica cheered through the phone. He could practically feel her thumping his shoulder with her hand. 

If he was going to save his relationship, he was going to need some calm communication and a plan. He was not the kind of person to let someone stomp all over him, and he was not going to let Kate Argent be an asshole to him anymore. He didn’t even care if her father was some sort of detective extraordinaire; he was going to triumph. 

***

“Look, can we talk?” Stiles asked, showing up on Derek’s doorstep a little before midnight on Sunday, his heart in his hands and his eyes full of hope. “I know I ignored your call earlier, but I’d like to talk now.”

“Yeah,” Derek said gruffly, waving Stiles in. 

The sleek furniture in Derek’s apartment had always felt daunting, but even more so now. He perched on the edge of the too firm couch, hands clutched in his lap as he waited for Derek to sit. Instead of sitting far, Derek sat close, so that their knees were almost touching. He had a beer in his hands, rolling it back and forth as if it were going to grant him salvation. 

“Look—” Derek started. 

“I just—” Stiles started simultaneously. He stopped, as if waiting for Derek to continue talking. When there was silence, he forged forward. “I just wanted to say that I was sorry for leaving in a fight, but there are some seriously unresolved issues that we have to talk through.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Derek asked gruffly, looking down at the ground between his feet. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it in the front so it looked practically disastrous. He let his arm bump against Stiles’, as if he were granting himself some sort of pleasure through that touch alone. 

“What? No,” Stiles said firmly, leaning against Derek’s side. He knew Derek was physical, would probably appreciate some physical reassurance during the hard conversation. He wished that he could climb into Derek’s lap, have the conversation from there, but he was afraid of his own self control and the dubious nature of doing that while they were arguing. “It’s about Kate.”

Derek straightened, looking at Stiles. “What about her?” he asked, rearing his head back. 

“I know she’s your best friend and all—” Stiles started to say. 

“Wait,” Derek interrupted, waving his hand side to side as if to ensure Stiles would stop. “Best friend? She’s a fiend at the office. I’m the only one who’s halfway nice to her, and she won’t leave me alone. Trust me, I’ve tried with some piss poor results.”

“But she wears your jacket,” Stiles said, his brow pulling down in confusion. 

“I hate that jacket, and she stays away if I ply her with that sorta thing.”

Stiles grabbed Derek’s hand, clasping onto his fingers. “She grabs onto you in public. Is always touching you and feeling you,” Stiles said, his confusion growing. 

“When she started doing that, I stopped getting hit on by women. I barely notice it anymore, and when I do I tell her to knock it off,” Derek said, looking over at Stiles, as if viewing his viewpoint of their relationship. 

“You act like her friend, Derek, even if you say you aren’t,” Stiles said, shaking his head. 

Derek sighed, squeezing Stiles’ hand. “Maybe she is my friend, or maybe she’s irrational, or maybe I’ve found myself Stockholm Syndrome-ing myself into finding her amusing. But she is not my best friend,” Derek said, tilting his head in confusion. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“What.” Stiles blinked at Derek, confounded by this information. He had spent this time thinking that she was important to Derek, and based purely off of observations that was in fact true, so hearing Derek say something entirely different was almost disconcerting. He was prepared to argue about a woman that was important in Derek’s life, not someone he was relatively indifferent about. 

“I wouldn’t keep being friends with her outside of work, if that’s what you’re asking. She was a convenience, and since I’ve grown used to her,” Derek said, reaching out towards Stiles’ leg, trying to grab his hand. 

“She’s been saying these things,” Stiles said, pulling away from Derek, shaking his head. He stretched away from Derek, the nervous energy and the anger building up underneath his skin itching to get out. “She’s trying to warn me _off_ of you or something. I thought she was your best friend and that she was trying to protect you because she wanted to be with you, but you aren’t even friends with her?” Stiles stood so that he could pace, his brain rattling with information. He glanced back at Derek, seeing his shoulders stiff with shock or surprise. 

“What did she say,” Derek said flatly, his voice barely audible. 

“Fuck, Derek, I didn’t keep exact tabs.” He did but he wasn’t going to admit it. “I was trying to brush it off,” Stiles said, running a hand through his hair as he paced back and forth, feeling both better and worse about the entire scenario. “Something about having your clothing, me not being your type, that there was no way you’d stay with me when she was around. More than one innuendo about me being poor or unclassy. That’s what had me so annoyed yesterday, because I thought you were _friends_ with her, and I wasn’t sure if I could keep going out with you if you condoned someone like that,” Stiles ranted, shrugging his shoulders to his ears. 

“You thought I would be friends with someone like that?” Derek asked, looking up at Stiles. 

“No! I knew you were better than that, a much nicer and kinder person. I just couldn’t hold in my frustration with her nagging words, and I had to figure it out and tell you—” Stiles said, cutting himself off. He closed his eyes, trying to let the frustration out of his body. He felt so rough thinking these things; he wanted to think the best of Derek because of their relationship and his attachment to the beautiful eyes and cute mouth and the kind person who was funny and gentle. He wanted to assume the best. 

“Fuck,” Derek said, his hands sliding around Stiles’ shoulders. He pulled him into his chest, resting his cheek on the top of Stiles’ head, the two of them slumped together. “I do not approve of her saying those things to you. Ignore her. I’m with you, not her, and she has no right to say those things to you.”

“Yeah?” Stiles asked, his voice muffled by Derek’s chest. 

“I’m so sorry that she said those things,” Derek said, his fingers trailing up and down Stiles’ back. “I hope you can forgive me for her actions.”

Stiles reared back, reaching up to grab Derek’s face. “Already forgiven and forgotten about. As long as I don’t have to deal with her insufferable attitude, then I think everything will be alright,” Stiles said, his thumbs sweeping across Derek’s cheek bones. 

“That can be arranged,” Derek murmured, leaning forward to kiss Stiles. 

***

On Monday at work, Derek practically locked himself into his office. He made sure to only use the phones when talking with his sister, and ensuring that the junior associates knew not to disturb him. He needed to distance himself from Kate, to ensure that she understood that she couldn’t mess with Stiles because of her own jealousy. He had her booked for an appointment before they left the office that day, ensuring that he could make a hasty exit instead of sticking around to see what sort of tormenting she would inflict on him and others. 

He was putting his foot down. 

“She was doing _what_?” Laura asked, perched on the edge of Derek’s desk, her eyes wide with surprise. “I knew she was a conniving bitch, but she was actively trying to scare Stiles off?” 

“I had no idea, and I feel so bad that I let that happen,” Derek said, pressing his face into his hands. He shook his head, hating the situation that he had managed to get himself in. He should have turned her down from the start, from the moment she had laid her claws into him upon joining the firm. He had never said no, even encouraged it, and had this as the result. Why did he let her drag him everywhere? He could have said no, been firm from the start. 

“I think she’d find a way to try and stake her claim on you no matter what,” Laura said, reaching over to touch Derek’s shoulder. She patted him a few times, hopping off his desk. “Besides, I have a few choice words for professional conduct in public spaces for her,” Laura added, smoothing her pencil skirt down. 

“Can you wait until tomorrow? I’m talking to her right after this,” Derek said, glancing up at his sister. 

She pursed her lips, her forehead going tight. “Alright. But I am interrupting at exactly 5pm to drag your happy ass out of this office. Do not let her keep you here,” Laura said, pointing aggressively at him. She backed out of his office, giving him a pointed look. 

Not five minutes later, Kate knocked on his door. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yeah, take a seat,” Derek said, gesturing towards the chair across from him. She flipped her hair as she sat, smiling at him. He had noticed how predatory her expressions were before, but he was used to them being turned on others. He wished he could use those same expressions as a shield today, but he couldn’t. 

Time to face the music. 

“Look, I want to make something really clear for you: Stiles and I are dating. He’s my boyfriend.” Derek looked at her, as if waiting for the news to register behind her eyes. She had the same sort of evil smirk on her face. “I cannot have you saying things to him when we all hang out. I’m dating him, not you.”

“I know that,” Kate said, eyes widening. She was the picture of innocence, and if Derek had not seen her face slide from sly to innocent, he would have believed her. He saw her expression change. 

“I’d like my jackets back, and any other clothing you have of mine,” Derek said firmly, making eye contact. He was not going to back down from this. 

“Wait, all because some guy you’re dating is falsely accusing me of… what?” Kate asked, pulling her head back. She tilted her head, fixing Derek with her particular brand of confused and worried stare. 

“Kate,” Derek said, sighing. He pressed his lips together, trying to keep things normal for at least a few more minutes, even if he wanted to shout at her for saying anything mean to Stiles. 

“Derek,” she said in response, tilting her head forward as if waiting for him to say something. 

“We both know you said those things,” Derek said, glancing at the clock on his wall. 4:57pm. “I believe him because I’m dating him, and I know you. I know you’ve said things to women in the past to get them to back off, and I appreciated it back then because I wasn’t interested. I’m interested in Stiles, and I’m not letting you scare him off,” Derek continued, his eyes hardening. He took a deep breath to manage his building annoyance and anger. 

“You can’t be serious,” Kate said, making a face. 

Derek stood, fixing his cuffs. “Dead serious.”

“You’re choosing some twink over me? He’s a lowly detective! Who gives a shit about him?” Kate said, standing, her arms stiff at her sides. “You seriously are going to keep dating him, after all I’ve done for you? I’ve made sure that no other woman wants you, specifically so that I could have you? And now you’re throwing what we have away?” 

“You were a means to an end. I used you, Kate, and I feel bad about that. But we will never be together. I want to date Stiles, a _man_ ,” Derek emphasized, smoothing a hand over his tie. “If I hear about any other incidents, I will report them to HR.”

He motioned for her to leave his office. She looked as if she was going to throw a tantrum there and then, her fists balled at her sides. Instead she stormed out of his office, letting out a frustrated growl as she stalked back towards the junior associates office, almost primal in her attitude. Derek locked his office door quickly so that she could not go in and trash it, making a hasty exit out of the building. 

He felt guilty for encouraging her and letting her assume things about them for the last six months. He should have made it clear they would never work at the beginning, but he was selfish and let her ruin every other relationship he had with women in the office. He felt a lump in his stomach at the repercussions of his actions, but he couldn’t think much about it. He wanted to go home and sleep for the next hundred years, only to awake like Rip Van Winkle to see the world changed of any influence he originally had. 

***

“Are you sure about this? We can go out and see a movie, or something else a little more interesting than this,” Stiles asked, swinging his hand where it was connected with Derek’s. He glanced up at their usual bar, the one that Derek’s co workers typically went to. He knew it was going to be strange; another Friday night hang out where Kate would probably try and scare him off. 

“I want to make sure she knows she can’t mess with you,” Derek said, pulling Stiles in for a kiss. He lingered for a moment, his other hand coming to rest on Stiles’ cheek. He deepened the kiss, almost biting, before pulling away. He had to know that Stiles would want to chase his lips, feel the heat of him near. 

“Torture,” Stiles muttered, pulling back from Derek. “Pure torture that we can’t just go back to my place.”

“Suck it up,” Derek said, opening the door to the bar. 

Inside was far less crowded than the last few times they had stopped in, which meant that the law firm group in the back was more prominent than ever. The usual suspects were all there, with Peter and Boyd playing darts and Laura and Malia talking with some tall blonde kid, who was a finance guy from the office below theirs in the building. There was no Kate in sight, which reduced the pressure almost immediately. Stiles was sort of worried they’d have to walk up and confront her immediately. 

“You two look chummy,” Laura commented as they walked up, gesturing towards them with her glass. She smiled at where their hands were linked, scoffing a little bit. “I remember when I thought holding hands was cute.”

“Laura, I don’t even remember you touching your last boyfriend. And you dated for almost a whole year,” Derek said flatly, fixing his sister with a look. He liked the way that Malia laughed, snorting her soda. 

“I’m not much for public displays of nasty,” Laura said, sneering at Derek. She flicked him on the nose, backing away quickly as he moved to smack her. 

“No fighting in public,” Peter said, pushing between the two of them. He put his back to Derek, taking the brunt of Laura’s physical attack. She seemed to stop smacking at him when her hand made a connection with Peter’s bare chest where his V-neck dipped down low. 

“Get your stupid V-necks out of here,” Laura said, making a face of disgust. 

Malia rolled her eyes at their antics, pushing her hair away from her face. “Is someone going to buy me another soda or am I going to have to make poor Isaac brave the bar again?” Malia asked, gesturing towards the tall guy next to her. 

“I’ll go,” Derek said, nodding at Isaac. He dropped a kiss on the side of Stiles’ head, crowding his space. “The usual?”

“With a side of confidence for when Kate makes an appearance?” Stiles murmured. 

“What else?” Derek said gruffly. He dipped away, walking in a straight line towards the bar. With the thinner crowd, it was easier to see where Derek was standing, chatting with the usual Friday night bartender. 

It also meant that Stiles could see Kate coming, striding across the room in a tight red dress and her hair flipped behind her like one of Charlie’s Angels, or maybe some sort of Bond girl. Her cutting voice was not something that Stiles was particularly excited about, but he readied himself for whatever nasty comment that was coming his way. He was sort of glad he didn’t have a drink, because she’d find some way to spill it on him. 

“Derek told her to back off,” Laura said to Stiles, nudging him with her elbow. 

“He told me,” Stiles said, offering Laura a small smile. “I still feel like she’d murder me and have her dad cover it up,” Stiles added through his teeth, shoulders tensing as she approached the group. 

“No one mentioned an associate outing when we left the office!” Kate greeted, fake cheerful. She went to wrap an arm jovially around Malia’s shoulders, only to have Malia duck away from her, stepping closer to where Isaac was standing. “Or, I guess not if there’s this fresh meat hanging out. Kate,” she said, offering her hand towards Isaac. 

He only nodded, shoving his hand in his pocket. Isaac seemed to lean into Malia as much as possible, not quite holding onto her but making it evidently more clear of the nature of their relationship. He all but tucked his hands around Malia, looking over her shoulder at Kate. 

“Ah, and my favorite Stiles,” Kate said, her hand reaching up to rest on his shoulder. Her nails started to dig into his shoulder, grin sharp. “Still scrawny, despite being a simple little detective, huh?”

“But I was under the impression you didn’t like me,” Stiles said, frowning almost comically. If she was going to act fake, he was going to act just as fake as her. He wanted to reach up and clutch at his metaphorical pearls, but he felt as if that might be a tad bit too dramatic for the moment. 

“Why ever would you think that?” Kate asked, tilting her head with a light laugh. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Stiles could see where Peter was turning away to half laugh, and Laura was practically biting on her fist in order not to say anything. Isaac and Malia had slipped away to join Jackson and Ethan, who were in the corner watching as if this was the best soap opera they had ever seen. The only person who seemed unaffected was Boyd, but he merely appeared as if he was ready to bounce Kate out of the bar. 

“Maybe it’s the impression that I’m getting, or maybe it’s the fact that you said I wouldn’t be with Derek long? Or that I was trashy and lacked class? That you were more his type than me?” Stiles said, reminding her of the highlights of what she had said to him over the past six weeks or so. “I might be paraphrasing, but you get the point,” Stiles said. He was half wishing for Derek to come back, swoop in and save him already. But he still had to fight his own battles, they had agreed on that. 

“Oh, honey, are you sure I even said that?” Kate asked, voice as sweet as honey. She looked over at Peter and Laura, as if expecting backup. “You can’t possibly believe him, not when he’s manipulating poor Derek,” Kate said, skipping past convincing them and going to gaslighting instead. 

“Manipulating me?” Derek asked, setting drinks on their small table, joining the conversation at exactly the right time. He squared up against Kate, his posture ready for a fight, even though that was unlikely to be what the confrontation turned into. 

“I’m your best friend—”

“No, Kate, you’re not,” Derek said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you not remember the conversation we had on Monday?” 

“But—”

“I’m sorry, Kate, but I did not change my mind. I’m sorry if I ever hurt you, but trying to hurt Stiles ends here. Leave,” Derek said firmly, his words chosen carefully and calmly. He knew how she could get, far more than Stiles did, and he was pushing her back and taking control of the situation.

Stiles wasn’t going to lie, seeing him like that was extremely hot. 

His words seemed to break her out of the attitude that she had. She glanced around at the table, seeing the judgemental looks of everyone who was seeing the altercation. The less confrontational merely looked away from her, while both Peter and Laura stared her down. It was made evidently clear that her behaviors would not be tolerated, not now and not again. 

“You bastard, you’re going to ruin my career!” Kate said, her hands balling at her sides. 

“I sat by and let you be a nasty person for far too long,” Laura said, stepping forward into Kate’s space. “I let you claw and attach yourself to my brother and scare off any halfway decent assistant that I’ve ever had because you were a good lawyer. But you made it a personal attack, and I cannot stand by you running off the one guy who seems to bring my brother happiness.”

Kate stepped up to her, their faces far too close to be anything but either passion or anger. “Are you firing me?”

“Get with the agenda or quit,” Laura said, practically seething. “I would miss your talents, but I certainly wouldn’t miss your shitty attitude and bitchy comments.”

Kate looked around wildly, realizing the ramifications of her actions. Instead of turning soft and running, her eyes turned icy, shoulders stiffening. She walked out of the bar with her head held high, slamming the door as much as one could. 

Her exit left a stunned silence before everyone let out a held breath. It seemed as if everyone was relaxing a little bit more now, if Isaac pressing a kiss to the side of Malia’s head and Jackson cuddling up to Ethan was any sign of the tension leaving their group. Laura seemed to deflate, sauntering over to the bar and yelling for a stiff drink. Even Boyd, usually the picture of poise and tense shoulders, had unbuttoned the sleeves of his button down to roll up around his forearms.

“Fuck. Was that a mistake?” Stiles asked, turning to face Derek. He could feel Derek’s hands snake around his waist, but his heart was still beating from the confrontation. He couldn’t let go of the nagging thought that he was not worth any of it, not at all. He couldn’t imagine having anyone care about him enough to sever both a friendship and a working relationship. 

“What was?” Derek asked, blinking at Stiles. 

“Getting rid of Kate in that way. What if she decides to sue you guys? Or what if she suddenly takes revenge? Was it a good idea to cut work ties too?” Stiles asked, all the questions rattling in his brain. If he were on a case, he would try and sort out evidence and figure out what sorts of actions would answer his questions, but all he had was Derek to be his voice of reason now. 

“Laura was looking for an excuse to fire her,” Derek said flippantly, as if that gave them any right to potentially ruin her career and life. 

“But what about her career? Getting fired from your firm might ruin things, and if she’s actually a good lawyer—”

“Stiles,” Derek interrupted. “She’ll be fine. She’s cold hearted and cut throat, which are qualities most people want in a lawyer. She will not be hard pressed for jobs.”

Stiles couldn’t argue with that sort of logic, giving in to Derek and pressing a kiss to his soft mouth. He let himself be pulled in, even though he still sort of felt uncomfortable about being this physical in front of Derek’s friends and family. He trailed his fingers through Derek’s hair, hoping that it was comforting enough for the both of them. 

“I was hoping we could skip out early, since we already finished what we came here to do,” Derek murmured, nipping at Stiles’ ear. He was likely thinking filthy thoughts that reflected Stiles’ own thoughts regarding his boyfriend’s badasserie. 

“Carry me off into the sunset, Prince Charming,” Stiles murmured. He was only half joking, tugging Derek along after them as they headed towards the front of the bar. It was only when they set foot outside that Derek swept Stiles up, carrying him bridal style as if he was a damsel in distress. “Not in that way!” Stiles protested. 


End file.
